APPLICATION SCHEDULE FOR SPRING 2012 EXTERNSHIPS
Externship Expo: Monday, October 24
Applications Due: Friday, Oct. 28
Offers to 1st Round: Monday, Nov. 7
Acceptances Due: Wednesday, Nov. 9
Offers to 2nd Round: Thursday, Nov. 10
Final Acceptances Due: Friday, Nov. 11
Below you will find summaries of the externships offered for Spring 2012. For detailed information on a specific externship and its application procedure, click on the linked externship title.
Arts Law Externship
Teri Silvers, Lecturer-in-Law (4 credits)
The Arts Law Externship provides students with practical experience in intellectual property, entertainment and nonprofit law as they assist staff attorneys at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) in their representation of artists and nonprofit arts organizations. Through class discussions and journals, students reflect on the wide variety of clients and issues they encounter in their fieldwork, and engage in critical thinking about the role that law and lawyers can play in the arts and entertainment world.
The Arts Law Externship consists of three components: a weekly seminar; a fieldwork placement at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, at which students work for 10 hours per week; and two out-of-class simulated exercises, in client counseling and contract negotiation.
Community Defense Externship
Rick Jones, Lecturer-in-Law (4 credits)
The Community Defense Externship offers students the opportunity to learn about the practice of indigent criminal defense in a community-based setting. Students will learn about aspects of criminal law and procedure related to the movement of a case through the court system and the practical and ethical considerations related to client interviewing and the forming of the attorney-client relationship. They will also engage in critical thought about topics related to criminal defense, including discovery and motion practice, investigations, developing a theory of the case, suppression hearings, disposition advocacy, and trial preparation.
The Community Defense Externship consists of a weekly seminar and a placement at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem (NDS).
Community Development Law Externship
Barbara Schatz, Clinical Professor of Law (4 or 5 credits)
The Community Development Law Externship explores the theory and practice of community development, with attention to the roles of both community-based institutions and government agencies, and a particular emphasis on the roles of the lawyers who work with and for them. The course should be of particular interest to students interested in getting hands-on experience with transactional practice and in understanding the methods lawyers use and the strategic and philosophical choices and challenges they face in seeking to improve communities. The course consists of four components: a weekly seminar; a fieldwork placement; short weekly written assignments designed to help students reflect on their fieldwork experiences; and a final project.
Domestic Violence Prosecution Externship
Scott Kessler, Lecturer-in-Law (4 credits)
The Domestic Violence Prosecution Externship is a one-semester course in which students work at the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, under a practice order as assistant district attorneys. They will take the lead in prosecuting misdemeanor domestic violence cases from the very inception of the case though trial. Third-year students chosen for the program will work in the new Family Justice Center, a unique facility where the efforts of civil services providers for domestic violence victims are coordinated with those of law enforcement officials. The seminar will prepare students for their field work and explore topics related to domestic violence prosecution. Scott Kessler, who has a national reputation for leading one of the finest domestic violence prosecution bureaus in the country, will teach the seminar and oversee the field placements.
Federal Appellate Court Externship
The Honorable Debra A. Livingston and Ilene Strauss, Director of Judicial Clerkships, Lecturers-in-Law (4 credits)
The Federal Appellate Court Externship introduces students to the judicial and adversary processes involved in federal courts of appeals. Students work in the chambers of a Second Circuit judge on legal research, analysis, and writing, occasionally drafting lengthy bench memos and parts of opinions. Students also participate in seminar classes, which include lectures addressing fundamental topics of appellate review and federal jurisdiction; discussions with judges and experienced appellate attorneys about appellate law and practice; and reflection/debriefing sessions for students to share their experiences and problem-solve. A moot court argument to three Court of Appeals judges provides a relevant oral advocacy experience.
Federal Court Clerk Externship
Paul Radvany, Lecturer-in-Law (4 credits)
The Federal Court Clerk Externship provides an in-depth examination of the functioning of the federal trial courts. Students will have the opportunity to work with a federal judge, draft opinions, and observe trials, oral arguments and hearings. The externship requires a commitment of 15 hours per week, which includes at least one day per week at the courthouse. In addition, students must submit a few short papers relating to the externship experience; read selected materials; and participate in seven classroom meetings to discuss topics such as: the externship experience; writing judicial opinions; habeas corpus; and effective courtroom lawyering. Two of the classes consist of panel discussions on criminal and civil law with judicial and practitioner guests.
Externship on the Federal Government in Washington D.C.
The Externship on the Federal Government in D.C. is a full-semester offering for selected Columbia Law School second and third year JD candidates in the spring semester. It is designed to provide a valuable hands-on complement to the Law School’s more conventional teaching offerings in public law, affording an opportunity to integrate aspects of students’ public law education in an applied setting. Admission is by application only. Up to fifteen students will be selected. Ellen Chapnick, Dean for Social Justice Initiatives, and Matt Gewolb, Associate Director of Government Programs, will oversee externship placements, including the application process and term-time counseling. Michael Shenkman, Fellow of the Center for Law and Politics and Lecturer in Law, will teach the seminar components of the program in Washington, D.C. For more information, please see the Externship's webpage.
Immigration Defense Externship
Shannon McKinnon and Amy Meselson, Lecturers-in-Law (5 credits)
The Immigration Defense Externship offers students the opportunity to learn about U.S. immigration laws and policies through a combination of lecture, discussion, simulation and representation of immigrants facing deportation from the United States. The Externship consists of a two hour weekly seminar and a field placement with an attorney from The Legal Aid Society's Immigration Law Unit in one of the Unit's projects, providing direct representation and counseling to immigrants facing deportation.
NYC Law Department Externship
Lisa Grumet and Co-Instructor (TBA), Lecturers-in-Law (4 credits)
Representing New York City: Externship at the New York City Law Department will introduce students to the legal and ethical issues facing attorneys who represent New York City or affiliated entities, and the role of lawyers in New York City government. Each student will be assigned to work at a division at the New York City Law Department for a minimum of 10 hours per week, working on issues such as: lawsuits challenging the validity of the City’s regulatory laws; litigation in which the City is a plaintiff; economic development projects; claims of discrimination or retaliation; legislation and counseling; or juvenile delinquency matters. Students will have the opportunity to work on multiple cases or projects, and may accompany City attorneys to meetings with government officials, legislative hearings, depositions, or trials. The seminar component of the course will look at several “case studies” concerning New York City policy matters in which government lawyers played a role, and will include guest speakers. Students will also complete a “counseling” writing assignment that involves analyzing legal issues relating to a policy matter of their own choosing, and will present their recommendations to the class.
United Nations Externship
Larry Johnson, Adjunct Professor of Law (4 credits)
The United Nations Externship provides students with an opportunity to learn more about the constitutional law of the UN and the processes of institutional law and policy making at the world organization. Fifteen students will be selected and placed in the UN or UN related offices. The course consists of two parts: externship (2 clinical credits) and weekly seminar (2 academic credits). The seminar will focus on the constitutional development of the UN through interpretations of the UN Charter in practice. Students will examine primary materials focused on the normative context within which the UN functions, developing an understanding of the interaction between law and practice. For the field placement, each student is expected to work a minimum of 10 hours per week for 14 weeks at the respective host unit.
U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of NY Externship
Taryn Merkl and TBA, Lecturers-in-Law (4 credits)
The U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of New York Externship offers students the opportunity to work one-on-one with experienced Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Eastern District of New York as they investigate and prosecute violations of federal criminal law. Each student will be assigned to work directly with an experienced Assistant U.S. Attorney in one of the Office's five senior prosecutorial sections: the Business and Securities Fraud Section, Narcotics Section, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, Public Integrity Section, and Violent Crimes and Terrorism Section. Students will have the opportunity to take part in all aspects of their supervising AUSA's criminal caseload - from investigation to sentencing and post-conviction appeal - and should also expect to do substantial research and writing. In addition, the local rules of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York permit law students to conduct court appearances, such as arraignments, guilty plea proceedings, sentencings, hearings, and trials.
